Kemal Sunal

Kemal Sunal was a Turkish actor and comedian who gained popularity among Turkish cinema goers with his roles as Şaban, a naive and simple-minded character, in many movies. He started his artistic career in the theater and then moved to film. He co-starred with other famous actors such as Halit Akçatepe, Şener Şen and Münir Özkul. He appeared in more than 80 films and several TV series. His movies were not only humorous but also reflected the social problems of the poor and rural people in Turkey during the 1970s and 1980s. He was also known for his fear of flying, which he overcame in his last film, Propaganda, directed by Sinan Çetin. He died of a heart attack at the age of 55, just before boarding a flight to Trabzon for another film project. His death caused a national mourning and his funeral was attended by thousands of people. He was buried at the Zincirlikuyu Cemetery in Istanbul. He was awarded the Golden Orange Award in 1977 and the State Artist title in 1998. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest comedy actors in Turkish cinema history.